Trade Hounds, America’s largest social media app for the skilled trades, today announced a new partnership with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) to spotlight Build America, Buy America (BABA) compliant products and facilities and help make it easier for contractors, electricians, and distributors to identify and source domestically manufactured products.
The collaboration brings together the power of NEMA’s Make It American™ certification program with Trade Hounds’ 440,000+ strong community of tradespeople—uniting manufacturing credibility with digital reach.
Solving a Complex Challenge: BABA Domestic Content Requirements
The Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act, enacted in 2021 requires that federally funded infrastructure projects set stringent domestic content requirements for iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials.
While the goal is to strengthen domestic manufacturing and job creation, compliance has proven challenging for many manufacturers due to complex sourcing and documentation requirements.
“The Make It American certification gives companies a powerful way to validate their supply chain management systems and operational practices through rigorous, third party expert audits,” said Debra Phillips, President and CEO of NEMA. “It provides manufacturers, government agencies, contractors, and procurement officials with greater confidence when sourcing U.S. manufactured products.”
The new partnership with Trade Hounds and NEMA’s Make It American Certification isn’t just a checkbox, it’s a competitive advantage. Products and facilities showcasing the NEMA Make It American mark are recognizable to project managers and contractors working on federally funded projects.
Trade Hounds’ recent poll of 657 users found that 92% of tradespeople are more likely to buy a product if it’s made in America—a clear signal that U.S. origin influences purchasing.
“Part of the certification allows manufacturers and distributors to proudly display NEMA’s Make It American™ BABA mark on their products, websites, and marketing materials—so people in the field can easily identify which products meet NEMA’s standards and meet the BABA requirements,” said Alexa Burr, NEMA’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth and Membership.
The Role of Trade Hounds
To bridge that gap between certification and visibility, Trade Hounds is integrating NEMA Make It AmericanTM certified facilities and products into its supply house map and product catalog—making it easier for tradespeople to find qualifying, capable facilities in seconds.
“If we can get those check marks into the app where people are searching for material on a daily basis, we can start to bridge the gaps between what’s made in America and what’s available on the jobsite,” David Bauders, CEO of Trade Hounds.
Moving forward, all manufacturers and distributors who earn NEMA’s Make It American certification are encouraged to share their product data and images with Trade Hounds. Certified products will be highlighted in the app with NEMA Make It American marks, helping buyers instantly recognize BABA-compliant products.
NEMA represents electrical manufacturers, distributors and service providers, however the NEMA Make It American certification is applicable to companies of any industry.
Coming Soon: Streamlined Ordering and Real-Time Data
Trade Hounds will soon introduce new capabilities allowing users to:
This initiative doesn’t replace distributors—it drives traffic to them. Trade Hounds does not sell products. Instead, it connects tradespeople with local supply houses that carry the materials they need, while giving manufacturers and distributors rich data to improve marketing performance and strengthen relationships across the supply chain.
A Win-Win for America’s Supply Chain
Nine out of ten Trade Hounds users report frustration with today’s fragmented buying process—visiting multiple websites or calling numerous branches to locate stock. Highlighting NEMA Make It American facilities and products directly in the Trade Hounds app delivers faster sourcing for contractors and greater visibility for certified manufacturers and distributors.
“We’re supporting companies responding to the complex BABA requirements for federally funded infrastructure projects, and the Make It American Program helps ease uncertainty,” added Burr. “This program adds needed validation to companies proving domestic manufacturing—and how we can connect recognition across the domestic supply chain, from Trade Hounds users all the way back to the manufacturers.”
About Trade Hounds
Trade Hounds is America’s largest social platform built exclusively for the skilled trades. With more than 440,000 users, the app connects tradespeople, contractors, and employers—helping them share work, find jobs, and discover products that make their lives easier. Learn more at tradehounds.com.
About NEMA
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) represents over 300 electrical equipment manufacturers that make safe, reliable, and efficient products and technologies that power, connect, and light our world. Together, our members contribute a full 1% of U.S. GDP and directly provide over 580,000 American jobs, adding more than $330 billion to the U.S. economy. Learn more at makeitelectric.org.
About Make It American
NEMA’s Make It American™ Certification Program identifies facilities and products that have undergone a rigorous, independent third-party supply chain evaluation to support domestic content requirements, providing certainty to customers and promoting investment in energy infrastructure made here at home.